Sunday, August 10, 2008

Jammu versus Kashmir ???

I remember that when i was in school,one always used to read about Jammu and Kashmir as one single entity.But of late the two have drifted apart and media also talks about Kashmir valley and Jammu in isolation.With the criminal mishandling of Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) land issue, initially by state govt. and later on by central govt.,things have come to such a point where bifurcation and trifurcation of state is being sought on religious grounds.The congress govt. both at the state and the centre have given fundamentalists a handle to beat them with.The govt. should have been pro-active but they just waited for things to spin out of control and now they have started discussions which are more in the nature of an eyewash.
The BJP is also playing into the hands of pro-pakistan elements by communalizing the issue.The issue should be seen in its proper perspective bereft of any communal angle.Yes ,there should be facilities for Amarnath pilgrims as it also boosts the local econonmy and gives employment to many locals as porters,lodge owners,transporters etc. But at the same time local sentiments should be addressed and any misgiving as to the permanence of land transfer should be removed.Making this a hindu-muslim issue ,which it is certainly not,would only vitiate the atmosphere further and benefit none in the long run.

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